The present invention relates generally to a system and method for reducing the amount of time between pitches in a spring-actuated pitching machine and, more particularly, to such a quick pitch system and method that can be used when converting a spring-actuated pitching machine such as the Iron Mike machines marketed by Master Pitching Machine, Inc. to a video pitching machine. This quick pitch system and method constitutes an improvement over U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,418 which issued on Oct. 28, 2003 to Michael S. Suba and which is commonly owned with the present application.
Pitching machines and ball-throwing machines are well-known in the art and generally fall into four categories: (1) machines that employ a spring-actuated arm mechanism to propel the ball; (2) machines that employ at least one rotating wheel or a pair of rotating, coasting wheels to propel the ball; (3) machines that rely on pneumatic pressure to propel the ball; and (4) machines that employ converging and diverging rotatable discs to propel the ball.
Perhaps the most common spring-actuated machine is the Iron Mike pitching machine marketed by Master Pitching Machine, Inc. of Kansas City, Mo. The Iron Mike machine comes in both a baseball and a softball version. In a commercial environment, this spring-actuated pitching machine is typically installed in an individual batting cage, frequently with a ball retrieval system. It is mounted at one end of the cage with the hitter at the opposite end. The advantage that a spring-actuated pitching machine has over conventional wheeled machines is that the movement of the spring-actuated arm gives the hitter some warning that a ball is about to be delivered and assists him or her with timing the pitch.
On the training side, the use of such machines is frequently a problem for serious players since the success of most players at higher levels (and faster pitching speeds) is an ability to properly time a pitch. Obviously, timing a spring-actuated arm is vastly different from timing the windup and release of an actual pitcher in game-like conditions. This timing difference is one reason why some coaches actually discourage their hitters from working in batting cages during the season.
The incorporation of a video display in combination with such conventional wheeled pitching machines has been known for quite some time. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,744 which issued on Mar. 23, 1993 to Neil S. Kapp et al. for Baseball Batting Practice Apparatus with Control Means where a ball is introduced into a conventional pitching machine by a gravity drop which is timed in synchronization with a video display. The synchronization means of such device relies upon an audio signal generated by the video without any regard to the status of the ball in the queued position. Furthermore, the ball queuing system of this device relies on gravity and is imprecise and subject to failure.
ProBatter Sports, LLC of Milford, Conn. has, since 1999, marketed its xe2x80x9cProfessionalxe2x80x9d line of video pitching simulators which employ substantially more complex video control systems in conjunction with a multi-pitch pitching machine. The ProBatter systems are described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,649 which issued on Feb. 6, 2001 in the name of Gregory J. Battersby et al. for a Ball-Throwing Machine; U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,133 which issued on Feb. 13, 2001 in the name of Gregory J. Battersby et al. for Quick pitch system and method for Establishing Pitch Parameters in a Ball-Throwing Machine; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,134 which issued on Feb. 13, 2001 in the name of Gregory J. Battersby et al. for Pitching System with Video Display Means, the disclosures of which are all incorporated herein by reference thereto.
Chin Music, LLC of Seattle, WA has also developed a computerized pitching machine which is marketed by Fastball Development Inc. for a product called xe2x80x9cAbner.xe2x80x9d This technology is described more fully in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,350 which issued on Jul. 4, 2000 for Accurate, Multi-Axis, Computer Controlled Object Projection Machine.
Master Pitching Machine has marketed a product called the LED Pitcher which is an LED display system of a simulated pitcher which they mount in advance of their pitching machine.
The machine utilizes two cams on the machine, the first to turn on the LED Pitcher and the second to count pitches and mark the stop position. The LED screen is mounted adjacent to the release point of the Iron Mike machine so that the ball comes off the side of the screen. As such, portions of the arm of the LED pitcher are lost as the arm gets closer to the release point. In addition, the LED image is vastly different from a video image in that motion is in stepped phases as opposed to the fluid motion of a video image. Finally, as a result of the LED makeup, it is impossible to change pitcher images as is the case with a video image where interchangeable video images can be used interchangeably.
More recently, ProBatter Sports introduced its ProBatter II line which included a video conversion system and method for the Iron Mike pitching machines. This system and method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,418 which issued on Oct. 28, 2003 to Michael S. Suba and which is commonly owned with the present application. While this problem has been widely accepted on a commercial basis, one of the complaints that the manufacturer heard from initial customers was that the actual time between pitches was longer than a commercial operator would like. This xe2x80x9cdelayxe2x80x9d was because the video clip of the original ProBatter II system was not started until the pitching machine arm was fully stopped. As such, it could only deliver a pitch every 10 seconds or so. Since many commercial operators prefer less time between pitches to increase the total number of pitches that can be thrown during any particular time period, the objective of the present invention is to reduce the amount of time between pitches in such a configuration.
None of these systems specifically address the creation of a quick pitch system and method for an existing spring-actuated pitching machine to add a video display component with reduced time between pitches.
Against the foregoing background, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a system and method for converting a conventional, spring-actuated, pitching machine into a video pitching machine with the ability to reduce the amount of time between pitches.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a quick pitch system and method which can be used for both baseball and softball spring-actuated pitching machine.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a quick pitch system and method that employes at least two switches to control the start of the video display.
To the accomplishments of the foregoing objects and advantages, the present invention, in brief summary, comprises a system and method for converting a spring-actuated pitching machine of the Iron Mike type to a video pitching machine, i.e., a pitching machine that includes a video projection screen on which the video image of an actual pitcher is displayed in synchronization with the release of a ball from the pitching machine. The quick pitch system and method include a projection screen; a projector; a motor unit including a clutch brake including two switches; a relay unit; and a control unit. The projection screen, which is adapted to be positioned between the pitching machine and a batter, includes an aperture through which a ball may be delivered to the batter by the conventional spring-actuated pitching machine. The video projector must be able to project the video image of an actual pitcher onto the projection screen. The motor unit with the clutch brake is adapted to hold a ball in a queued position within the spring-actuated pitching machine and, upon release, propel the ball toward the batter in synchronization with the video image. One of the switches is intended to pre-start the video when the arm reaches a particular point before coming to a full stop. A control unit is provided for storing the video image and displaying the video image onto the screen as well as for causing the motor unit with the clutch brake to hold the ball in a queued position and, upon release, propel the ball toward the batter in full synchronization with the video image displayed on the screen.